ISIS claims US hostage killed in Jordanian airstrike

The Islamic State group released a statement on Friday saying a female American hostage held by the group was killed in a Jordanian airstrike in Raqqa, Syria. The claim was made through a media account linked to the group.

The SITE Intelligence
Group, who have been following jihadist activities, broke the news.

The US State Department said it could not independently verify
the woman’s death. Jordan's Interior Minister Hussein Majali told
CNN’s Nic Robertson that the Islamic State’s claim is nothing
more than a publicity stunt.

“The failed Jordanian
aircraft killed an American female hostage,” said the message on
a Twitter account associated with the group according to the
translation provided by the organization. “No mujahid was injured
in the bombardment, and all praise is due to Allah.”

The CIA told Fox News it is aware of the terror group’s claim and
is trying to authenticate it.

The American aid worker has been held by the Islamic State for
over a year. The Islamic
State had reportedly demanded $6.6 million for the 26-year-old
American’s release, according to the Daily Mail.

In their message, the
group identified the woman by name, as well as her address in
Arizona, apparently to add credibility to its message, the Times
reported. She was in northern Syria and “was killed when
she was buried beneath the rubble of the building” during the
Jordanian raid, according to SITE.

The woman is believed to be the last American hostage being held
by the Islamic State since the beheading of Peter Kassig in
November, according to Fox News. She was in Syria helping
children who had been orphaned or separated from their families
in the ongoing civil war. She and a group of other aid workers
were captured on different occasions in August 2013. The
remainder of the hostages have been released.

The aid worker and her boyfriend disappeared from the city of
Aleppo after she drove into the northern town with her Syrian
boyfriend. Her colleagues received a proof-of-life video a few
months later, showing her wearing a hijab and begging for her
life, according to the Times.

If the Islamic State’s claim of her death is confirmed, she would
be the first American female to die while held hostage by the
group. IS previously executed three other US captives, all of
whom were men. The terror network posted videos of the men’s
beheadings online.

The Jordanian airstrike was conducted in retaliation for the
death of one of its air force pilots who was captured in
December. On Tuesday, the Islamic State released a video that
purportedly shows Moath al-Kasasbeh, the pilot, being burned
alive. The Jordanian government had pleaded with IS to release
the hostage in exchange for a captured terrorist.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh told CNN that his country
promised to strike the Islamic State with “everything we have”
when it began the bombing raids Thursday in response to
al-Kasasbeh’s immolation death. “This is just a beginning...tens
of...fighter jets have struck their hideouts,” the country’s army
said in a statement.